Inflating events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka into an image of a “nationwide torture system”

What it claims

Events in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka are cast as evidence of a network of “torture sites” allegedly run by the military, police and territorial recruitment centres (TCCs). Clashes near a temporary National Guard site following a provocation by a pseudo-medic are inflated into claims of widespread abductions and torture. One episode is reduced to an image of a state where service and uniform allegedly guarantee impunity.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• In Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, military personnel and police hold people in a basement, demand ransom and use torture.

  Анатолий Шарий, 2 Nov 2026 · Archived copy

• One case in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka shows that people in uniform across Ukraine can abduct and torture civilians with impunity.

  Евгений Мураев, 3 Nov 2026 · Archived copy

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To persuade service members, veterans, men of mobilisation age and their families that the security structures operate as a criminal system and that seeking protection or justice is futile. This is meant to weaken willingness to cooperate with the military and state bodies.

Techniques used

• Exaggeration or MinimisationEvents in one location are stretched into a claim about a nationwide network of basements and torture.
• Loaded LanguageThe military, police and TCCs are labeled “torturers” and “Gestapo.”

The real grievance it exploits

Concern about possible unlawful detention, violence and abuse of power is justified. Families of service members and of people who went AWOL may be especially worried about their relatives’ safety and an impartial investigation of possible violations.

How to counter

• Fact-check: Separate reports of clashes and procedural actions from sweeping claims about entire institutions. The fact that events are being investigated does not substantiate a story about a network of “torture sites.”
• Reframe: Demanding an investigation into possible crimes and accountability for those responsible is compatible with respect for service members and law-enforcement officers. Branding everyone in uniform replaces accountability for specific actions with collective stigma.

Sources (all time)

• MediaKillerTier 1109,766 subscribers
  4 posts · 2–3 Nov 2026

  • 3 Nov · t.me/MediaKiller2021/25293
  • 3 Nov · t.me/MediaKiller2021/25291
  • 3 Nov · t.me/MediaKiller2021/25288
  • 2 Nov · t.me/MediaKiller2021/25271
• Анатолий ШарийTier 11,736,060 subscribers
  4 posts · 2 Nov 2026

  • 2 Nov · t.me/ASupersharij/62071
  • 2 Nov · t.me/ASupersharij/62064
  • 2 Nov · Archived copy
  • 2 Nov · t.me/ASupersharij/62060
• Алексей АрестовичTier 1236,159 subscribers
  3 posts · 2–5 Nov 2026

  • 5 Nov · t.me/O_Arestovich_official/8453
  • 3 Nov · t.me/O_Arestovich_official/8450
  • 2 Nov · t.me/O_Arestovich_official/8448
• Евгений МураевTier 189,578 subscribers
  3 posts · 3–6 Nov 2026

  • 6 Nov · t.me/murayevUA/1385
  • 6 Nov · t.me/murayevUA/1384
  • 3 Nov · Archived copy
• ОЛЬГА ШАРИЙTier 1113,974 subscribers
  2 posts · 9 Oct – 2 Nov 2026

  • 2 Nov · t.me/OlgaSharij/9622
  • 9 Oct · t.me/OlgaSharij/9613